England's Luke Donald has begun the defence of his Madrid Masters title by posting a four-under par 68.
Fellow countryman Ross McGowan finished the day at the top of the leaderboard after he shot a round of eight-under, one shot ahead of the chasing pack.
"I think I like Madrid. That was a much better round than I've been putting together recently," said McGowan.
"It's been a pretty tough year with a couple of injuries but it's been improving week-to-week and this week it really seems to have come together."
Meanwhile, Edoardo Molinari hit a six-under 66, with his brother Francesco one shot further back.
